The main issue is that major content providers don't mind people watching these videos for free on a computer, but don't like the idea of the same content showing up in the living room. The apparent reasons: Web advertising still doesn't pay nearly as much as traditional TV advertising, and--unlike cable and satellite companies--Web video currently doesn't offer any affiliate fees read: revenue for TV content providers.
Unfortunately we expect this problem to stay in flux, with hobbyists finding workarounds, content providers trying to plug the holes, and official deals between content providers and Google coming slowly although we'd bet Hulu Plus comes soon. It is worth pointing out, however, that some content providers don't seem as vigilant with their content. Comedy Central and Cartoon Network, for example, currently aren't blocking Google TV--though that could change at any moment.
We expect access to the extensive video archives at PBS. Content issues aside, the experience of surfing the Web on your big screen is simultaneously frustrating and awesome.
It's frustrating when the browser feels slow which happens sometimes when Flash is used on the site or when a pop-up window fills the entire screen. It's awesome when Chrome intelligently maximizes videos to full screen which happens on Amazon VOD , and that you can now access any niche video site from your home theater.
For better or worse, it essentially duplicates the feeling of watching videos on a slightly underpowered laptop, except you have the benefit of the big screen. Compared with other Internet-enabled TVs, the Sony's lineup of dedicated streaming services is nothing special. That means there's no search functionality or the capability to see movies that aren't in your instant queue.
Most other Internet TVs also feature the basic version of Netflix, however, and we expect the interface to update soon. They seem tacked-on, however, since the providers' Web sites are accessible via the browser anyway, and Google TV's Queue can search and subscribe to podcasts in a much more efficient manner.
Potentially more valuable, especially if Sony Pictures decides to give it exclusive content, is the Qriocity on-demand service, with first-run movies available now and music coming soon. We did not extensively test DLNA support via networked computers and other gear, in part because Sony tells us it's still a work in progress--even the company's support site contradicts itself, in one answer claiming to support only JPEG picture files and in another both video and photos.
Sony managed to shoehorn all of its standard picture settings, including a fine color temperature control, into the Google TV menu system. Given the TV's feature set noting crucial goes missing, and it's nice that full control is available within apps like Netflix and Amazon VOD, complete with a single dedicated independent memory slot in Custom mode.
In addition to the three standard Power Saver modes is a Picture Off setting that delivers sound only--great for Pandora! Sony's traditional Eco menu adds a Quick Start mode that enables the GT1 to turn on in about 4 seconds--just like a standard TV--as opposed to the odd seconds it takes to boot up Google TV normally. In that mode, the TV uses 24 watts of standby power instead of the default 0.
The TV's picture-in-picture is restricted to viewing a small window showing the TV source inset into the larger Google screens. Performance Google TV performance Using Google TV on the Sony, aside from the issues noted above, was a mostly satisfying experience via the wire connection.
Response times in the menus, apps, and browser were generally quite snappy, pages loaded as quickly as we expected, and even pages with flash seemed to appear more quickly than on the Logitech Revue--although once the PBS site caused flash to crash. We do mean "generally," and lag beyond simple page loading was more common than on typical Internet TVs.
We experienced lag at times with the search bar, picture-in-picture, and even volume, mute, and input changes, where a button-press would take a second or 5 to mature into a response from the GT1.
The issue reminded us of using a modern Android smartphone heavily--lag was intermittent and tolerable for the most part, albeit system-wide and tough to pin down. As expected we experienced worse performance with Wi-Fi than Ethernet, and recommend using the latter if possible. Via wireless pages took longer to load or sometimes didn't load at all; sound and video were more prone to breakup; and a bandwidth test at Quiocity said our connection was only good enough to stream SD quality.
We've had no problems with many other streaming Wi-Fi devices, including Sony TVs, in the same environment. Streaming video quality was fine, and as usual depended on the source.
HD streams from Amazon and Netflix via Ethernet looked great, SD streams less-so, and most Internet video sites looked bad blown up on the inch screen. We were especially disappointed in HBO Go's quality--"Boardwalk Empire" looked blocky, soft and generally unworthy of our high monthly subscription rate.
Google TV's frequent full-screen fields exposed the panel's uneven uniformity more frequently than typical video content would. Black levels were relatively bright, and we saw occasional flashes in the shadows during transitions. Editor's note: The remainder of this review does not apply to the inch NSXGT1, which uses a different backlight technology than the other members of the series.
We cannot comment on the picture quality of that size. The Custom picture mode was slightly more accurate than Cinema overall, with good average gamma 2. Our calibration was able to improve the grayscale significantly, although it still remained slightly uneven, and also help gamma further. Sony doesn't offer a CMS so the highly inaccurate primary color of red had to remain so. Black level: The Sony fared poorly in this area compared with the others in our lineup, rendering a lighter, less realistic shade of black than any of them.
The difference was most visible in dark scenes, such as Chapter 3 when Dr. Neville closes up his house. The letterbox bars, fades to black, and very dark shadows all appeared relatively bright and less impactful in our darkened room. We also noticed unusual flashing in the shadows during transitions. One example appeared at the mark, when the shadows on either side of the doorway flashed brighter then darker again as they brightened from black.
The same thing happened starting at , again during a fade up from black. The letterbox bars even flashed slightly when we hit Select on our PS3 to disappear the status display.
Shadow detail was passable given the relatively light blacks, but some shadowed areas seemed flat. In Chapter 8's exploration of the zombie nest, for example, the GT1 outdid the C and S2 at delivering realistic detail in areas like Neville's shaded face, but didn't quite match the C or EX Color accuracy: After calibration the Sony appeared relatively accurate.
The controller may be better, but Google TV still leans on the mouse way too much for operations like making video full screen. That means menus pop up quick and are easy to sift through, but the Web browser chops along when you scroll and sometimes seems to manifest display quirks with Flash content. A lot of Google TV features, after all, appeal to frugal consumers who would rather not drop triple digits every month on a cable bill.
Instead, Sony wisely built its first batch of Internet TVs from what might otherwise be considered middle-of-the-road sets. Fortunately, the specs bely the reality of the situation, which is that even these ho-hum panels look great.
Having stepped down from the stellar Sony NX , we were ready for image quality to take a corresponding step down, but surprisingly, the Internet TV held its own in the office.
Our only modifications were turning up the backlight to accommodate for the brightly lit room we had it in, switching on MPEG noise reduction, and engaging black corrector. While Sony has had to build the price of Google TV into every set, its Internet TVs offer image quality competitive with similar-priced TVs that lack the same connectivity. Google TV remains a tortured beast, pockmarked with huge content holes from networks likes CBS and NBC, major sites like Hulu still blocked, and a browsing experience that lumbers along too clumsily to use casually.
Sony manages to make the best of it with the seamless integration of TV controls and menus, easy setup and a smart controller, but patching the rest of the potholes remains up to Google. Google TV will either get better with time like a fine wine, or be replaced with the next feature-packed, whizz-bang platform, like the latest color of Amp energy drink.
The gamble is up to you. DT Recommended Product. What is HDMI 2. Mar 9, 0 0. Unless you're plan on really using it as a TV I think you'd be happier with a quality 24" to 27" monitor. That's even more likely if you view a lot of text or use Photoshop for productivity and need the color accuracy.
On the other hand, if you prefer to sit back from the screen and want a larger surface to work with then that TV would be a great choice- especially if you mount it on the wall. Just keep in mind the difference in distance you're going to be sitting from the display. You know best of all where you like to sit. Just keep that in mind. Nov 2, 0 0. I personally use an old 32" p tv as a monitor - for games it's great, for text the resolution is obviously a problem PC sources still looked relatively crisp nonetheless, but not as good as on the XBR9, for example.
I know it's a completely different model, but it definitely scared me away from Sony as a brand, I mean, what the hell?! Dec 14, 0 Only a few TV's actually have chroma subsampling, which is a requirement for good text display of a PC image.
And when you cross reference with low input lag, you get an even small number of available solutions. If text is a priority at all, I would get a PC monitor.
I've been through about 7 32" LCD's, and I found the text marginal on the best, and unusable on the worst. I'd still like to get this TV, but now i've got to be more cautious based on some comments. I might try and get it at a local Best Buy even though it'll cost more money just so I can return it if there is an issue with text, etc.
Oct 7, 8, 1 I've been really happy with it, but there's been some little problems. Whenever I first set it up I had overscan issues which was fixed easily enough and I also had a problem with the audio not being output to the correct device, which again was easy to fix. The only recurring issue I've had is I can't play games in full screen. At any resolution in windowed mode they come out fine, but in full screen mode everything goes to hell, especially any text which becomes completely unreadable, and the game itself comes out looking jagged sometimes, like its taking a low res and simply 'blowing it up'.
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